Word: protein
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Resistance arises when mutations in the HIV genome lead to changes in the viral protein structure, thus creating unfavorable conditions for drug binding. As a result of the ease with which the virus mutates, HIV patients eventually develop resistance to all antiviral drugs...
Maze's research focused on a particular protein called G9a that is associated with cocaine-related changes in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region essential for the experience of desire, pleasure and drive. The role of the protein appears to be to shut down genes that shouldn't be on. One-time use of cocaine increases levels of G9a. But repeated use works the other way, suppressing the protein and reducing its overall control of gene activation. Without enough G9a, those overactive genes cause brain cells to generate more dendritic spines, which are the parts of cells that make connections...
...leap from a mouse study to a human study, of course - and an even bigger leap to consider developing a G9a-based treatment for addiction. The protein regulates so many genes that such a drug would almost certainly have unwanted and potentially deadly side effects. But a better understanding of the G9a pathways could lead to the development of safer, more specific drugs. And studying the genes that control G9a itself could also help screen people at risk for cocaine addiction: those with naturally lower levels of the protein would be the ones to watch. Still, there...
...drug). Similarly, according to a paper published last year in the Quarterly Review of Biology by Eva Jablonka (an epigenetic pioneer) and Gal Raz of Tel Aviv University, roundworms fed with a kind of bacteria can feature a small, dumpy appearance and a switched-off green fluorescent protein; the changes last at least 40 generations. (Jablonka and Raz's paper catalogs some 100 forms of epigenetic inheritance...
...latest study of an Australian H1N1 vaccine, a shot that is also distributed in the U.S., shows that a single dose containing the same amount of viral protein as two doses combined, can produce enough flu-fighting antibodies in nearly 93% of youngsters immunized. "The single-dose response is substantially better than responses to seasonal flu vaccines of past years," says Terry Nolan of the University of Melbourne, the lead author of the study. That's good news for parents and public health officials, particularly in light of the fact that about half of U.S. children never get their second...